‘No more company Ferraris!’

Gizmondo boss Carl Freer has described his masterplan for the launch of the new version of the firm’s handheld – and in a reference to the opulence of days gone by, promised, “No more company Ferraris!”

Freer headed up the launch of the ill-fated Gizmondo console back in 2005, alongside others including Stefan Eriksson.

Now, in an exclusive interview with MCV, Freer has revealed that the new version of the Gizmondo is due for release later this year – and that the company’s previous mistakes and astounding spending power have been rectified.

“There are too many improvements [over the old machine] to mention,” he said. “I think the big change is the “open-source” environment we will be offering, as well as some serious improvements on the component reliability side. Oh, and no company Ferraris!”

As revealed on this site last week, the design of the new machine is very similar to the first Gizmondo, but includes a newer version of nVidia's graphics chip and a new battery.

Owners of the old Gizmondo can even swap their old battery for a new one free of charge.

The system will come with a choice of two operating systems – Windows CE 6.0 or Google's new Android OS – and will be open, so any Window game or emulation can run on it.

MCV is the leading trade news and community site for all professionals working within the UK and international video games market. It reaches everyone from store manager to CEO, covering the entire industry. MCV is published by NewBay Media, which specialises in entertainment, leisure and technology markets.